Jeddah (UNA-OIC) - A delegation of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will visit the Rohingya Refugee Camps in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh from 3-6 January 2018.

The delegation consists of members of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), one of the principal statutory organs of the OIC dealing with human rights issues, and officials from relevant departments of the OIC General Secretariat including the Minorities, Information, and Humanitarian Affairs.

The visit is undertaken, in coordination with the government of Bangladesh, to ascertain the human rights and humanitarian situation of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Despite repeated requests by the IPHRC, Myanmar authorities did not allow to undertake a fact-finding visit on the human rights situation faced by the Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State. In the absence of a positive response from the Myanmar government, the IPHRC has decided to visit Rohingya Refugee Camps in Cox Bazar (Bangladesh) and acquire first-hand information on the state of human rights violations faced by them in Myanmar for preparing an objective report on the subject. IPHRC has routinely pronounced its strong concerns and condemnation on the state of human rights violations faced by the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar at all relevant UN forums.

As for the OIC, it has repeatedly called upon Myanmar that Rohingya refugees must be allowed to return in safety and dignity to their original places of residence and that the authorities must take concrete steps to address the causes of tensions in Rakhine State. During the visit to Cox Bazar, the officials from the OIC general secretariat will discuss humanitarian needs and other issues of concern with the relevant authorities in Bangladesh and present their report to the OIC secretary general.

A detailed report both on the human rights situation of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and their urgent humanitarian needs will be presented to the upcoming OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled to take place in May this year in Dhaka.